Bernese Oberland - Day 4 - Grindelwald

Guten Morgen

Yesterday was good morning in Swiss German, today is good morning in standard German. 

My breakfast of gf rolls, fruit and omelette 

Jo Anne had French toast. 

After breakfast we walked over to the cable car station to begin today’s adventure. The first order of business is to get to Grindelwald (our home for the next three nights). And look at those cables going up the mountain. 

Nightshade

We take the same cable car we took to Mannlichen yesterday, but instead of walking to Klein Scheidegg, we will walk over to the gondola station and take the gondola down into Grindelwald.

In the gondola

Photos from the gondola

Arriving in Grindelwald 

The next step is to get from this gondola station to the one that will take us up to the top of First (pronounced fearst), so we took a local bus and are really glad we did because it was uphill all the way and a good distance apart. 

First is a mountain location and minor summit on the slopes of the Schwarzhorn in the Bernese Oberland. It is mostly known as a cable car station above Grindelwald (Firstbahn) and as a popular hiking area with the Bachalpsee (glacier lake) in proximity.

The cable car whisks you in three stages (about 25 min) from the valley station to Grindelwald-First at 2,168 (7,113’) above sea level, a hotspot for connoisseurs and adventurers alike. The summit tempts visitors with breathtaking views of the north face of the Eiger and wonderful hikes. Lasting around two hours, the leisurely hike to the Bachalpsee lake is a must for anyone visiting the First area. The snow-capped Alpine peaks are reflected in the crystal-clear blue water – a pure mountain idyll!

After exiting the gondola, most people go directly to the First Cliff Walk. It is the most popular summit attraction after all! However we decided to walk on up the mountain toward the lake, so we stopped off at the WC and the COOP (local store) in the station.

Drinking water

Hmmm

Ricola choices at the COOP. They actually had a basket of ricola drops at the reception of our last hotel, instead of candy. 😁

The scenery is postcard perfect!

Jo Anne’s coming up

Very unusual dead tree

Zoom in and you’ll see the cliff walk. 

We walked along this higher trail next to the fence. 

Grindelwald far below. 

Common kidneyvetch 

It seems like we can just reach out and touch the mountains. After taking a few photos from up high, we head back to do the cliff walk. 

I’m on the walk in this photo, back of the line. 

The First Cliff Walk is a metal walkway built into the side of the mountain at a dizzying height. The walkway is held up by bolts and has see-through metal flooring so you can feel like you’re walking into nothingness. 

The First Cliff Walk which leads along the cliff face to a viewing platform, gets even the most daring of hikers' hearts beating a little faster.

Warning: If you’re someone who has a fear of heights, this narrow metal pathway might be challenging to do. If you’re not used to heights, you might experience vertigo and dizziness as part of your brain telling you “Hey this is not normal!”.

The walkway is very safe and there are rails added for assistance. It’s an odd sensation walking on this pathway at first, but you get used to it pretty fast. Nevertheless, we saw about a third of the people get to the start of the First Cliff Walk and turn around saying “nope”, Jo Anne included. 

She got this far. 😁

The path itself is very short and only takes about 15 minutes to complete. There is a suspension bridge which to me was the most intimidating section.

The walkway ends at the Berggasthaus First hotel & restaurant that’s located at approximately 2200 meters (7100 feet) in elevation. At this mountain restaurant, you can grab food and enjoy views of the surrounding scenery from the comfort (and safety) of the outdoor patio.

People waiting in line to take a photo at the end of the walkway.

This is a very popular photo opportunity but be ready to stand in a line and wait about 30 minutes for your turn because people turn this into a complete photo shoot the likes of which you’ve never seen. 

I bided my time to get this video and the girl behind me asked if I wanted my picture taken. 

May as well since I’ve waited half an hour. 

Hang gliders - crazy people 

From this viewing platform, you can enjoy spectacular views of the Swiss Alps and the surrounding landscapes.

All was not lost. Jo Anne did get herself up to this viewing platform. It was higher than the cliff walk but also solidly on terra firma. 

We are back in the gondola heading down to Grindelwald and watch the hang gliders. Must have been a perfect day for it because we saw dozens of them. Speaking of perfect days, we have had them. I’ve been walking for three weeks and only the first day had heavy drizzle off and on while I was walking. All the other days have been clear blue skies or with some cloud cover, but any rain has held off until we were safely ensconced in our hotel. What a blessing it has been. 

Upon arriving in Grindelwald, it was find lupper and then the hotel. 

Stopped at a restaurant that had a fairly extensive menu. I had roast chicken and vegetables with rosemary potatoes. Meh..

Jo Anne had pizza. She said it had no flavor. Kind of a bust all around. 

The worst part was we each had one hand waving flies away while eating with the other. Just as we finished eating the waiter brought a fly fan. 🤷‍♀️

Large yellow loosestrife 

It’s a steep little walk uphill to the Inn. As we arrive, we see the local bus stop is right across the street. We’ll be utilizing that the next couple of days. 

We are staying at Chalet Hotel Gletschergarten which has been family run since 1899 and is in the 4th generation of the Michael-Breitenstein family. There is a sauna, steam bath and relaxation room. All the rooms have a balcony or terrace. In the hotel restaurant, Chef Francois Rollot prepares a 4-course dinner combining his traditional French cuisine with Swiss and Italian dishes.

Since we had our meal already, we won’t be dining here tonight but maybe tomorrow or the next???

The room is ideal with little sable cookies on the comforters and pillows folded like the alps. 

Water provided 

I haven’t had tea service in my room since we left England so this is a treat!

And well, I guess we’ll have to settle for this view from our balcony. 

Lovely old Dutch cabinet

Without work, early and late, nothing will come of it.

The devil only sees the flowerbed, but not the spade. 

Sitting on the balcony, blogging and enjoying sparkling mineral water. It’s a picture isn’t it? 

One more perk…there is a laundry room downstairs. Yay!!! It’s CHF 5 for a wash and the same for a dry. Considering they wanted to charge by the piece at the last place (CHF 8 for pjs), this is a bargain. Jo Anne already has hers done. I will do mine tomorrow. 

This is the first time we have done anything touristy on this trip. I can’t say I enjoyed fighting the crowds but the visual was epic. As yet, we don’t have a plan for tomorrow, but we’ll come up with one. 😁

Stats

Steps - 10,218

Miles - 4.4

Floors - 27

"So teach us to number our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Psalm 90:12

“We should deeply consider our own frailty, and the shortness and uncertainty of life, that we may live for eternity, acquaint ourselves with the Lord, and be at peace; that we may die in His favor and live and reign with Him eternally.” 

I think these words may have come from Randy Alcorn’s book Heaven. I have them written in my study notes and neglected to note the author.